Seraph Beats!
by ConfoederatioHelvetica
Summary: Not everyone looks up to Yurippe as the leader of the Battlefront. Enter Tadayoshi, a egoistical individual who is unsatisfied with the way that the operation is run. So he sets off on his own crusade against Angel and against God to avenge his unjust life. But his mysterious past soon catches up to him...
1. 01 Arrival

He came to with half of his face stuck to a pane of glass. He blinked, then pried his skin away from the window.  
_Where am I?_  
He rubbed his eyes and looked around. He was in a bus; together with about a dozen other guys, all in their teens, all wearing the same dark blue school uniform.  
"Ah, so you're finally awake?"  
The guy next to him gave him a slightly worried look.  
"Where am I?" he asked, dazed.  
"Your guess is as good as mine; I woke up about five minutes ago. Your seat was still unoccupied then. I looked away for a second, and bam! There you were."  
He clutched his forehead. It felt like it was going to explode.  
"Ow…my head…I can't think straight."  
"It'll wear off eventually, trust me. Don't think too hard for a moment, it'll only hurt more."  
"You really have no idea where we are, or where we are going?"  
A guy from across the aisle lent towards them.  
"I've tried to get some straight answers out of the people here, but all they ever say is that we're going to school."  
_School? But I just came from there!_  
"Okay, let's think this through, what's the last thing any of us can remember?"  
The one across the aisle thought for a moment.  
"Well, I was in chem-lab…I don't know exactly what I was doing, but it was during school for sure. Then I remember a loud noise and a bright light, then I woke up here. And you?"  
"Last thing I recall I was in some dark alley. I must have been heading home from school, because I had some books under my arm. And there was some guy there…I don't know why, but he pointed a gun at me for some reason. I think I was mugged."  
"And you? Can you remember anything?"  
His head still throbbed.  
"Well…I…I'm not so sure…"  
"It's okay, take it easy. What was the last thing you were doing?"  
"I…I remember riding home from school on a bicycle, then a couple of headlights from my right, and that's it."  
"By the way, does anybody remember their name?"  
"I do. I'm Atsushi."  
"First name or last?"  
"Last. And you?"  
"Koharu. Pleased to meet you."  
"Likewise."  
They both looked at him.  
"Is your headache better?"  
"Yeah", he said, the pain had subsided slightly. He stretched out his arm"  
"Tadayoshi"  
They all shook hands.  
"Okay" Koharu said "I think it's pretty much clear why we're here. Before we woke up, we were all about to die, yeah?"  
The other two nodded.  
"So it only makes sense that we actually did die."  
Atsushi looked skeptical.  
"So what you're saying is that this is the afterlife?"  
"Just think about it. I must have had an accident with an experiment, you were shot, and Tadayoshi was run over by a car. Hence probably the headache too, you must have hit your head pretty hard."  
He had a fleeting image of rain-splattered tarmac in his mind and car driving away through the screen of water.  
"You're right." Tadayoshi said. "There is no way we could have survived that. We're all dead, and this is the afterlife. I can't decide whether it's heaven or hell though, because it's just plain boring."  
"It must be heaven then!" Koharu laughed.  
"And none of the others have experienced something like that?"  
"All they know is that we're going to school, they haven't been very talkative."  
It was true; they were the only ones on the bus who were making conversation, even if it was in whispers.  
"Any idea how long this will take?" Atsushi asked.  
"Nope, not a clue."  
"Hey, guys, we're slowing down. We must be there."  
Tadayoshi looked out the window on his side, and immediately had his mind blown.  
"Just look at that!" he gasped in awe.  
Atsushi clambered over for a better look.  
"What? Oh my god, that's gigantic!"  
They had arrived at a bottom of a flight of steps, leading to the possibly largest school complex they had ever seen.  
"This place is _way_ bigger than my old school." Tadayoshi remarked.  
"No kidding."  
"Guys" Koharu interjected "We might want to get off now."

Together they exited the bus, following the line of students ascending the steps heading towards the buildings above. When the three arrived at the top of the steps, they passed by two important looking students. One was a girl, rather short, with long platinum hair. The other was a boy in blue uniform, with black hair and a cap. Neither of them looked particularly friendly. They were just about to pass by when the girl spoke.  
"You. I need to talk to you."  
Her voice was empty, betraying no emotion at all. They were stopped dead in their tracks.  
"Wha-what is it?" Koharu asked timidly.  
"You're new here."  
"Y-yeah, we just arrived on the bus."  
He looked increasingly uncomfortable. She walked towards them, passing over him, while he tried to smile, but it only ended up as a grimace and stopped right in front of Tadayoshi. She may have been shorter then him, but staring into those cold yellow eyes sent a chill down his spine which he couldn't explain. There was something odd about her.  
"Be careful."  
There was tense silence.  
"Okay…we're leaving now." Koharu said "Come on guys."  
He almost dragged them away from the pair.  
"What was that about?" Atsushi inquired.  
"No idea…but there is something wrong with that girl…." Tadayoshi murmured.  
He felt watched, and turned his heads to see another girl gazing at them. She was leaning against the wall of a nearby building and wore clothes that stuck out like a sore thumb.  
He stopped walking.  
"Who's that?"  
The other two looked as well.  
"Hell if I know."  
Tadayoshi set out towards her. Koharu grabbed his arm.  
"What do you think you're doing?"  
"I have a feeling we need to go talk to her." He responded, twisting out of Koharu's grip.  
The girl had purple hair and green eyes. Although her uniform was much different from the girl they had met before, it was no doubt still a school uniform. Perched on top of her head was a white beret. She spoke when he got within earshot.  
"I saw you three arrive. You probably have no idea where you are, or what has happened to you, am I right?"  
"I think we figured out most of it." He told her.  
She raised an eyebrow.  
"Oh yeah? Tell me."  
"We pretty much figured that we've all died in various ways, so this must be the afterlife, a place that is neither heaven nor hell. Obviously you are just like us. I don't know why we are here though, but I have a feeling that you're going to tell us."  
The other three had now joined Tadayoshi.  
"You're a smart bunch. We could use your help."  
"Who's 'we'?" Koharu asked.  
"People just like you. You were sent her because you had unhappy lives, and this place is supposed to give you what you wanted and remove all attachments you had to your lives. That girl you met, her name is Angel. It's her job to make sure that you pass on to the next world. She wants you here so that you can participate in classes and clubs, but if that happens, you'll get obliterated. Most of us don't want that, and so we've come together to fight against Angel."  
Tadayoshi gave her a suspicious look.  
"Who are you?"  
"I'm Yuri, the leader of this group, and I want an answer. Will you join us or not?"  
"I don't want to get obliterated!" Koharu protested.  
"Neither do I." Atsushi agreed.  
Yuri smiled. Tadayoshi extended his hand to shake hers.  
"I think we have ourselves a deal then."  
She shook it.  
"Welcome. To the Underworld Battlefront."


	2. 02 Dissident

Outside Boys Dorm, Block 3 – 2.47 p.m

Weeks had passed, and they had done nothing. Yuri had promised that they were going to fight against Angel, but instead they were just hanging around campus, attending classes without paying too much attention, and not daring to join any clubs as instructed. The three shared a dorm room together, and had bonded slightly over the fact that they were all strangers in this new and strange world. They understood each other well form the beginning, even though they were so different.  
Atsushi had been in a university, studying engineering until his untimely death. He had been an extremely successful student, and won most of the major awards that the university had to give. His intelligence was more than apparent, but he never bragged about it.  
In contrast to him there was Koharu, somebody who seemed more fixed on his appearance than his intellect. From what he told them, he had been dating three girls at once when he was alive, and had been on his way towards some martial arts national championship. They dismissed these as tall tales though.  
And lastly Tadayoshi. He didn't talk much about his past. When he described his life to them it could only be classified as 'average' at best. He didn't go into detail. They didn't question him any further either. Ever since their arrival, he had, by some unspoken agreement, become the leader of their group. Not that there was much to do.

As many a day, they were now simply languishing outside the school after class. Atsushi was reading a textbook. Even in death he seemed serious about studying. Tadayoshi was leaning against a lamppost, looking bored, and Koharu was playing ball with the wall. The perpetual bouncing motion of the tennis ball thumped away as he tossed it again and again as hard as he could, catching it after every time. That is until Atsushi snapped.  
"Would you please stop it? I'm trying to read here you know!"  
Koharu immediately snapped up the bait for a fight.  
"Oh yeah, well sorry to bother you, but this campus is big enough, why don't you go and read inside? Maybe if you do well enough in the tests then you can get obliterated!"  
Tadayoshi recognized the danger and immediately stepped in.  
"Cut it out you idiots!"  
They stopped.  
"I know that this has been hard for us. We've been here for weeks and nothing happened whatsoever. I'm just as bored as you are from not getting to combat Angel, but that doesn't mean we need to fight  
among ourselves, got it?"  
The two growled at each other like a pair of dogs, before resuming their activities. Atsushi resolved to ignore the noise.  
"Yuri sure seemed intent on recruiting us, that's for sure. But now it's like she's forgotten about us. What's the point? Why even bother?"  
"And her obsession with changing the name of this organization is laughable. What is our name now? Underworld Battlefront? Afterlife Battlefront? Not-yet-dead Battlefront?"  
"Last thing I've heard" said Koharu "they decided to call us 'Barnacle Battlefront' now. I think she might have lost it."  
"I don't understand this anyway." Tadayoshi shook his head.  
Atsushi looked up from his book.  
"And what would that be?"  
Tadayoshi crossed his arms.  
"Well, how many members does the whatever-its-name-is-now Battlefront have?"  
Koharu stopped playing with the tennis ball. This was one of the moments were Tadayoshi would present a brilliant idea, it's happened before.  
"A few dozen I'd say." He answered.  
"I get the same figure, the guild not included. And how many of those get to see any real action?"  
"Twelve. And the four from the diversion department."  
"And their groupie." Koharu added  
"Right, and occasionally some assistance from a few others."  
"So there have to be many like us around with nothing to do but wait until they accomplish their goals." Tadayoshi concluded with an air of triumph.  
Koharu shrugged.  
"I guess it's down to luck really. You heard about the new guy Tadayoshi? The one who got himself stabbed in the chest by Angel?"  
Tadayoshi nodded.  
"I have. He was taken up into the team immediately for some reason, although he has amnesia and no special talents to speak of."  
"What did he do to get himself stabbed?"  
Tadayoshi chuckled.  
"He commanded Angel to prove to him that he was dead."  
Koharu slapped a hand to his forehead.  
"What a moron! Seriously? And they still recruited him into their ranks after _that_?"  
"It seems so."  
"Tadayoshi," Atsushi cut in "you were going to say something about all the idle members of class triple-S before you veered off."  
"I'm getting there; I'm getting there. So anyway, many of us are just doing nothing, probably more bored than we are at the moment. Yurippe's leadership certainly leaves room for improvement, she obviously cannot control this many people. Her operations may be successful, but all the rest of us ever get to do is watch."  
Atsushi looked critically at him.  
"What are you suggesting?"  
Tadayoshi looked up at the sky.  
"I'm not so sure about that yet myself. Give me some time to think and I'll come back to it. By the way, any news?"  
Atsushi shook his head.  
"None that I heard of."  
Koharu was still tossing.  
"Well you ought to keep your ears open a bit more my friend."  
"And what do you mean by that?" Atsushi asked him irritated.  
"Well…" Koharu smirked "There's this girl I had an eye on lately…"  
"If we're dead, then what's the point in having a girlfriend?" Atsushi argued.  
"You need some way to pass the time. Anyway, her name is Yusa, and she belongs to the inner circle of the Battlefront. Some kind of communications work. Cute and gentle, but very straightforward and sometimes a bit scary. Doesn't seem that much interested in me unfortunately…"  
"Koharu!" the other two shouted at him.  
"Okay okay, well we were talking and she let slip that something big was going to go down tonight. One of Yurippe's operations."  
"Which one?" Tadayoshi asked.  
"Operation Tornado."  
Tadayoshi looked at Atsushi, and he complied.  
"Stealing the lunch cards off the NPC's using giant rotor blades to create an upward draft. The band will be holding the distraction while the SSS members buy time by engaging Angel in combat."  
"Ah…the meal-ticket heist. So simple-minded. And once again we only can watch?"  
"I suppose so."  
"Not for much longer I tell you."  
Koharu squinted at him, as though he was blinded slightly.  
"What do you have in mind?"  
"That can wait. For now I need you three to get together as many SSS members as possible. We will use the distraction tonight for our own means. With Yurippe and her team occupying Angel we can do what we want. Gather all the people in the gym. Can you do that?"  
Koharu rubbed his hands together  
"I'll see who I can round up!"  
"It will be done." Said Atsushi.  
Tadayoshi nodded satisfied.  
"Let's do this."

* * *

Gymnasium – 7.56 p.m

Night fell, the campus was deserted. Well, almost. The only ones about were the members if the inner circle of the Battlefront. They had stationed themselves around the area of the cafeteria. Inside however, the distraction unit, the rock band of the afterlife, was letting the speakers go into overdrive.  
Tadayoshi observed all of this form higher ground, just outside the gym. They had made no light as to not betray their presence. While operation Tornado was in full swing, they were able to hold their meeting privately, without the fear of Yurippe and her team noticing a single thing. He scanned the grounds with a pair of binoculars. Most of Yuri's special unit were posted in immediate proximity to the building itself. There was one person however, near the bridge. Tadayoshi recognized him as the new recruit. What was his name? Oto- something or other. He was the weak link in their defenses. Yurippe had made a great tactical mistake in leaving him alone. As far as he knew, the rookie had never fired a gun before, and therefore would probably run, rather than fight. It was only logical that Angel was going to approach his way.  
He heard steps behind him.  
"Tadayoshi?" Atsushi said "We're ready."  
Tadayoshi walked past him, handing over the binoculars.  
"You keep an eye on things around here. At the first sign of trouble, alert us."  
"I will." he promised.  
From inside the gym, Tadayoshi could hear the murmur of dozens of people, and Koharu trying desperately to keep them calm. They did not like being kept in the dark, both literally and metaphorically.  
"Just wait! He'll be here any second!"  
"Who's 'he' anyway?"  
Timing was a crucial matter. Tadayoshi threw open the doors and stood still for a moment. There was a small crowd of people gathered there; more than he had hoped would come. He let them look at him for a moment, then walked towards the stage at the front. People made a gap for him where he could pass through. He looked neither left nor right, but ascended the steps to the podium, and turned to face the gathered.  
"Good evening, companions in the fight for our lives. My name is Tadayoshi. You must be wondering why I've asked you to come here at this hour."  
He spoke calmly, audibly, and in a tone that suggested he had complete control.  
"Yes, we've all been _dying_ to hear that!" someone from the crowd commented, which earned that person some collective chuckles.  
Tadayoshi continued unabashed.  
"Indeed. The reason is simple. You are not needed."  
There were murmurs of disbelief.  
"What do you mean 'We're not needed'?"  
"It isn't that ridiculous when you think about it properly. Have any of you been part in any of Yurippe's operations?"  
There was an awkward pause, where people looked everywhere but at him.  
"No?" he looked around. "Anyone?"  
He smiled.  
"That's what I thought. So that begs the question; are you really needed? The answer is no. You are of absolutely no use. Why did you join this battlefront again? Because you wanted to fight Angel so that you won't get obliterated. Yet somehow you are no closer to achieving that goal than you were a month ago. This is by no means your own fault, you're not untalented. It is because of Yurippe. She is not using all the resources available to her, preferring to rely on her special team while neglecting that there are far more people. I am sure that every one of you possesses a firearm of some kind?"  
Again there was silence. They obviously didn't.  
"I thought as much. Therefore what your participation in this battlefront boils down to is you wearing that uniform, and nothing else. Because I am equally unsatisfied with this situation, I have concluded that we should take matters into our own hands. We should fight Angel ourselves, instead of relying on Yurippe."  
"You're suggesting a coup." Said a female voice in the crowd.  
Tadayoshi searched for the source of the voice, but in the near darkness it was impossible to tell who it came from.  
"Yu-yusa…" Koharu stuttered "What are you doing here?"  
Tadayoshi turned his attention to the speaker, and now identified her easily.  
"Ah, so this is Yusa, the operator of the Battlefront. I must ask why you are here; I explicitly gave instruction not to invite anyone who was part of the inner circle. Besides, I thought you were supposed to be helping the others with their little scheme down in the main dining hall."  
Yusa betrayed no emotion.  
"I delegated that task to someone else, and came to see what this was all about. Koharu said that he was going to be the leader of a new battlefront. The idiot was bragging to try and impress me."  
"Hey! That's mean!" Koharu complained.  
"But I thought that there was a grain of truth in what he said, so I came to see." She finished ignoring Koharu who was still twitching from her insult.  
"No, I am not trying to instigate a coup against Yurippe, that would be counterproductive and treasonous. My name is not Tadayoshi for no reason."  
"If you're as loyal and righteous as your name suggests, then what IS your plan?"  
"I intend to form a subgroup. Still under Yurippe's ultimate authority, still a part of the whatever-it-is-now Battlefront. But we have our own anti-Angel agenda. We follow that same goal as Yurippe does, but we pursue it with our own means. This way we could finally achieve what we want. Immortality. So Yusa, you are Yurippe's eyes and ears on the battlefield. Will you report back to her like an obedient follower, or will you instead choose the new path open to you."  
He addressed everyone in the gym.  
"That is something I ask from all of you! What do you chose?"  
Seconds passed, then a guy stepped forward.  
Taking all his courage together he said "I've been waiting to be called on for weeks, and nothing has happened. But no more, this ends tonight! I accept your offer!"  
A second voice was heard.  
"Same here. I'm not gonna sit back and watch as Yurippe tries to do it on her own. As a battlefront we should be a team! And not just stand around!"  
There were shouts of assent.  
"So then are you ready to join us in this fight against Angel?"  
"Yeah!"  
"Yes!"  
Tadayoshi smiled and looked as Yusa.  
"What about you, operator?"  
She took off her headset and twisted it around in her hands.  
"Until now I've been doing close to nothing, save for talking to Yurippe as an eye in the field. What you say sounds too good to be true…and you say that we'll still be a part of the battlefront and not actually work against them?"  
Tadayoshi nodded.  
"We want to fight Angel, not each other."  
"In that case, yes, I'll join you."  
"A good choice."  
"But I think we need a name…"  
Her request was echoed by the crowd.  
"A name! A name! We want a name!"  
"A cool one! One that doesn't change every few hours!"  
Tadayoshi looked thoughtful. A name was something he had never considered before this.  
"Well then, I have one suggestion." He announced carefully.  
There was bated breath.  
"We should call ourselves 'The Immortal Legion'"  
There was applause all around.  
Tadayoshi frowned.  
"I didn't expect there to be so much approval…"  
"You've got charisma, my friend" Koharu whispered to him "You've got charisma."  
Tadayoshi waited until everyone had settled down again, then addressed the crowd anew.  
"Then this concludes our first unofficial meeting. There are several things that need to be taken care of now we've founded this organization. Naturally we cannot gather together in here all the time, and we need armament. Until the next time we meet, I will have both of those provided for."  
"But how do we know when and where we're supposed to meet next?"  
Tadayoshi had not come up with the idea in the spur of the moment. He had been brooding over the concept for a long time, doodling and writing in his notebooks during class. He knew how they were going to contact their members.  
"We will put up announcements around the school. They will be advertising for various club activities, but in fact they will be encoded. The time and date of the activity corresponds to the time of our next meeting."  
"But won't the NPC's think it's the real deal? And how do we recognize the hijacked posts from the normal ones?"  
"The NPC's are programmed to know what concerns them and what not, they will not be a problem. You will learn to differ between the two by looking for the initials of our organization, discreetly hidden among the text. Will that be all?"  
There were no further questions.  
"In that case, you are all dismissed."  
People started to leave. From outside they could still hear the noise form the main dining hall. The distraction was in full flow, and due to reach its climax soon. Tadayoshi and Koharu followed the stream of what were not members of the Legion. Outside they met Atsushi.  
"Anything to report?" Tadayoshi asked him?  
"Nothing in our direction." He replied.  
Just then, Yusa passed them. Tadayoshi stopped her by sticking out his arm and blocking her way.  
"One moment if you please."  
She turned to look critically at him.  
"I already told you that I wasn't going to tell Yurippe about your little meeting. Is my word not enough?"  
Koharu intervened hastily.  
"I can vouch for her! Yusa is not someone who would lie, I swear Tadayoshi!"  
"It's not that." He took a folded piece of paper from a pocket of his uniform.  
"I need some things." He handed her the list.  
She unfolded the paper and scanned the list.  
"That's a lot of equipment, and I'm not sure where you'll find the first on your list. You'll have to go to the Guild to get those things."  
"Exactly. I need you to call the Guild and tell them that they need to bring us everything on that list."  
Yusa shook her head.  
"That's not how it works, the Guild stays underground. You'll have to go yourself. But without a direct order from Yurippe, you're not getting anything. And she won't help you."  
"I know that. Well, I guess I'll have to go myself." Tadayoshi concluded, startling his companions.  
"Hey! Who gave you permission to go down there all alone?" Koharu protested.  
"It would be unwise for you to travel underground unaccompanied." Added Atsushi.  
"Fine, you can come along."  
Yusa crossed her arms.  
"What you're planning to do is 'Operation Parachute' as Yurippe calls it. It's a dangerous journey, with a lot of traps on the way which will be active if Yuri hasn't given the green light. And even if you do manage to get there safely, they won't help you unless Yurippe tells them to."  
Tadayoshi smiled.  
"They don't need to be told by Yurippe. They only need someone to tell them that they're told by Yurippe."

* * *

Principal's Office – 9.17 p.m

Yusa lead the three of them along the hallway that lead to the principal's office. It was the dead of night, the lonely time when there was not any danger that an SSS member would be present in the room.  
"The only place you can contact the guild from is headquarters. This is our only chance."  
Tadayoshi crept along behind her.  
"We're not going to call them up at this time, are we?"  
"No, of course not." She answered "most of the weapon orders are not verbal, they are sent down there in written digital form."  
"So we basically send them an e-mail."  
"Exactly"  
They reached the door.  
Tadayoshi was about to slide open the door.  
"Let's go then."  
Yusa tackled him and threw him out of the way. A trapdoor opened in the ceiling, and a giant hammer swung down, barely missing Tadayoshi.  
"That was close. Too close." Tadayoshi remarked. "Thanks a lot Yu-"  
Yusa's move had as a consequence that he was now laying on the floor…with Yusa on top of him  
"Oh…"  
He noticed that he had his hand on her chest.  
She noticed as well.  
"This…is highly inappropriate."  
Tadayoshi retracted his hand.  
"Sorry." He apologized  
"It was my fault." She said.  
She got up and so did Tadayoshi. Koharu almost had tears in his eyes.  
"It looked like you were…I can't believe that she would do this to me."  
"Snap out of it. If she hadn't thrown me to the ground, I'd be as flat as a pancake right about now, and this place would be swarming with SSS members." Tadayoshi told him.  
Yusa straightened her uniform.  
"You need to say the password to enter unharmed. It's an anti-angel trap."  
"What's the password?" Tadayoshi asked.  
In reply, Yusa stepped in front of the door and said clearly  
"There is no God, Buddha or Angel."  
Then she entered the office. Tadayoshi and the rest followed. Koharu was still in an almost catatonic state. The room was dark when they entered. Yusa walked over to the windows and looked outside.  
"All clear."  
Tadayoshi nodded to Atsushi, who started u the computer on Yurippe's desk.  
"Dammit." He breathed after a while.  
"What?" hissed Tadayoshi.  
"It's password locked."  
"Can't you hack it, wise guy?" Koharu suggested.  
"I don't have the equipment."  
Yusa was still observing the scene outside. She had taken out her binoculars and was scanning the campus.  
"You'll have to try your luck." She said.  
"Okay" he typed "'There is no God, Buddha or Angel'…no, not the right one."  
"It's too long" Tadayoshi whispered "Try the current name of the SSS."  
"'Underworld Battlefront'…not the right one either."  
"I've got an idea." Suggested Koharu  
They all looked up when he spoke.  
"There is a joke going around the Battlefront about something that happened here when the new guy joined the inner circle. Apparently Yurippe was searching for a new name, and one of the suggestions was 'Barnacle Battlefront'. Yurippe kicked the guy who suggested it in the face though."  
There was a moment's pause, then Tadayoshi broke the silence.  
"We haven't got much time, try it."  
Atsushi typed in the password. Everyone held their breath. Atsushi lifted his head and smiled.  
"We're in."  
"Seriously? 'Barnacle Battlefront'?"  
"It's kinda catchy…."  
Everyone with the exception of Yusa crowded around the screen.  
"What now?" Tadayoshi asked.  
Yusa stayed at the window, unmoving.  
"There are several files in the drive. Find the one that named 'Transactions'"  
Atsushi searched for a moment.  
"Okay, got it."  
"Open it and click on 'new transaction'. There you can list all you want. The Guild will have it ready for you when you go down there. Be sure to note though that you will not call ahead, but name a time and date when they're supposed to disable the traps."  
"Right, on it."  
Minutes passed by.  
"Why did you have to make such a long list?" Atsushi complained, still typing furiously.  
"Because we need everything on that list. It's all essential. Now stop whining and finish up."  
"How should I write the message?"  
"Put yourself in Yurippe's shoes."  
"And how am I supposed to do that?"  
"Be imaginative."  
"But she's a GIRL!"  
"JUST DO IT!"  
"Okay fine…"  
"Angel is on the prowl." Yusa said from the window.  
"Why is she out there during this time of night?" Koharu asked  
"To make sure that all of us are in bed. I don't think she'll come anywhere near though. Still, you should hurry up. You're taking too long."  
Atsushi was starting to sweat.  
"I'm doing it as fast as I can."  
"Then do it faster!"  
"Shh!"  
They were all quiet.  
"I thought I heard something." Tadayoshi whispered "Atsushi, send that order now."  
"Sending…"  
Atsushi closed the laptop and hid under the desk. Koharu searched frantically for a place to hide, then also ducked behind the desk.  
"Ouch! This is my hiding place you moron!"  
Tadayoshi hit the lights and stood behind the door.  
"Yusa! Hide!" he hissed.  
Yusa stayed where she was. Tadayoshi was about to tell her to get out of sight again, but the door opened. He couldn't see who had entered the room.  
"Oh"  
A male voice, surprised to find someone in the room.  
"Yusa…what are you doing here?"  
Tadayoshi thanked God that Yusa barely ever showed any emotion, because she didn't betray a hint that four other people were in the room with them.  
"Watching. Yuri's orders. You're not supposed to be about at this time Otonashi."  
Tadayoshi drew in his breath even further.  
_It's the newbie!_  
Otonashi hesitated.  
"Oh…I'm sorry."  
"Angel is patrolling. You should go to your room. You don't want to get caught in a situation like on your first encounter."  
Even though he was behind the door and couldn't see Otonashi's reaction, he knew that he must have shifted his weight awkwardly at this, and maybe gotten some more color in his face too.  
"Right" came the response "I'll just go"  
Otonashi left, closing the door behind him. Koharu and Atsushi both came out of their hiding place. Tadayoshi breathed out and straightened his uniform.  
"Now THAT" he said "was close"  
"It's lucky that we won't have to do this again. I could hardly sit still" said Koharu  
Atsushi cut across him.  
"That's because you hid in the same spot as me, and I was trying desperately not to let any part of my body show. Next time, find your own hiding place!"  
Tadayoshi held up a hand, and both of them fell silent.  
"It doesn't matter. We gave the order, all we need to do now is wait, then go and pick up the wares." He turned to Yusa "How long will it take them to make what we want?"  
Yusa shrugged "Until tomorrow, at most"  
Tadayoshi slammed a fist into his palm.  
"Then that's when we'll go down to the Guild and get our stuff. I want you all to meet me tomorrow at lunchtime in the gym. It should be deserted then. Yusa, you'll have to come to, you're the authority, and we're just the carriers."  
Yusa nodded "Right"  
Koharu formed his right hand to a fist and clasped it to his chest.  
"For the Legion"  
There was silence as the other three stared at him, with raised eyebrows.  
"I eh…" he muttered "I thought we could use that as a sort of slogan, you know…a formality to promote morale and cooperation."  
He received blank looks.  
"It was just an idea." Koharu mumbled  
Tadayoshi looked thoughtful.  
"Hold on to it" he said "I might bring it up again in future." He smiled and imitated Koharu's gesture  
"For the Legion."


	3. 03 Shaking Foundations

Guild, Main Access Tunnel – 3.17 p.m

The descent down to Guild was uneventful. The traps had been shut off, Guild had complied with the request in the mail, and it seemed as though they suspected nothing yet. Yusa said that Yuri and her companions made frequent trips down here in order to replenish their supplies of gunpowder and procure weapons for new recruits. The access tunnels to Guild were long and complex, varying in size and shape, ranging from the beginning, which looked like a mining corridor, to small, narrow room where the walls where white. Yusa explained that they were all traps for angel, ranging from boulders rolling after you, to lasers to cut you in half, to explosives, set off if you stepped somewhere. Finally they reached a long cave that was much larger than all the others they had gone through. It looked like a giant tube, and there were exits on either side, leading to who knew where. He wasn't interested in what the purpose of this room was, just on getting to Guild.

Tadayoshi looked around.  
"Where to now?"  
Yusa pointed to the far end of the tunnel.  
"There's a trap door in the floor over there which is the main access to Guild. You'll find a ladder that you have to descend far down to the deepest point that is where you'll find the production."  
"You've been here before?"  
"No, but I've heard what it's like. Their leader is a student by the name of Chaa, you'll have to speak with him if you want your shipment."  
"This Chaa…how do we recognize him?"  
"You'll know it's him when you see him."  
Tadayoshi bit his tongue, squashing a remark that he wanted to throw at her. She could have just told them. Instead of protesting, he started forward, the rest of them following behind him. As they drew closer to the access hatch, Tadayoshi took in more and more of the room, and its function became apparent. There was one entrance, which funneled out into this massive tube. It was designed as a battleground, a place for maneuverability. It was the last stand, the last line of defense should Angel come to call. The hatch was heavy, but together, he and Koharu managed to life it, then they all descended, Tadayoshi leading the way once more. After a few moments of climbing down in semi-darkness, Tadayoshi suddenly found himself staring. If the room they had been in before was large, it was nothing in comparison to this. The ladder they were on was of vertigo-inducing height, and he found his grip on the cold metal of the rungs tightening. Below him, he saw what seemed to be a city, or rather like a giant factory. Smoke stacks, smelting ovens, conveyor belts, and assembly lines everywhere. Here and there he could just make out the blue overalls of the workers.  
"They built…this?" Tadayoshi said in awe.  
Yusa, who was climbing down next, nudged him with the sole of her shoe.  
"Keep on climbing, I don't want to hang up here forever."  
Tadayoshi gave himself a mental slap for his lapse and then continued on his way down.  
The climb was long, but they eventually reached the bottom, a platform that was elevated above the rest of Guild. An excited crowd had gathered at the bottom.  
"Look. We have a reception committee" Tadayoshi chuckled.  
A small crowd had gathered below the platform, and they were pointing up at them. Over the sounds of the machinery he could just make out their voices.  
"It's Yurippe!"  
"No, it can't be, Yurippe doesn't have blond hair or pigtails."  
"Who is that?"  
Tadayoshi descended the steps down to the craftsmen, surveying them in an authoritarian manner. He was supposed to be here on official business.  
Soon the rest of his group had joined him, and they were surrounded by a knot of people. Tadayoshi held up a hand for silence, and miraculously, the voices stopped, leaving only the creaking and cranking of Guild's machines.  
"Who of you is Chaa?" Tadayoshi asked in a loud, clear voice, turning his head from right to left, as if he was trying to spit him in the crowd.  
"I am." Came a deep voice. The craftsmen stepped aside and let a burly man through. His brown hair was long and messy, and he had a full grown beard.  
Tadayoshi found it hard to believe that this man was still High School age.  
"What do you want?" he asked.  
In comparison to Chaa, Tadayoshi felt rather meek, since the former was much broader even if not taller than he was.  
"Yuri sent an order yesterday for more supplies. We came here to pick them up and also see on how the progress on the special order is going."  
Chaa scratched his beard, scrutinizing Tadayoshi, who was furiously trying to look convincing.  
"Ah, yes. The weapons are ready. About the second part, you'd better come with me, we've got some things to discuss."  
Chaa lead the way from the pack. Tadayoshi looked at the other three.  
"You check the weapons, I'll take care of this" he said, and followed the Guild master.  
They stood around awkwardly, watching Tadayoshi go.  
"So…what now?" Koharu asked.  
"If you want to see the weapons we made for you, follow us." Answered one of the blue-overalled teenagers.  
"Alright, show us."  
They were escorted through the alleyway, which was lined by various factory buildings, warehouses and silos. The craftsman leading them chatted to the about their work.  
"It took the rest of the resources we had for the moment to make all this. Now we'll have to start from scratch."  
"But you can make anything right?" Koharu asked.  
"Anything we remember, that's the only limitation." He replied.  
"Out of dirt?"  
"Yes, exactly, we make everything from practically nothing."  
Koharu massaged his temples.  
"I still can't wrap my brain around how exactly that works."  
Atsushi took off his glasses and polished them with a white cloth he took from a pocket in his jacket.  
"Well, the process is simple enough to understand, even though it is a very refined one, would you like me to explain it to you?"  
"No interest" Koharu shook his head vigorously. "I don't want to hear about it, you already tried to explain it once."  
"Anyway," the craftsman continued "In all our time we never had to make something like this. It's something really uncommon…"  
All except Yusa shrank together, as if to protect themselves from an accusation that wasn't even spoken yet. The craftsman turned around to face them, and they pretended not to have reacted at all.  
"Is Yuri planning a new operation?"  
They breathed a collective sigh of relief. They hadn't become suspicious after all.  
"Yeah, that's probably it. We're not informed enough to know that." Koharu said.  
"What did you want Guild to produce anyway?" Yusa asked Koharu.  
"I don't know. Only Tadayoshi and Atsushi know what's awaiting us." Koharu turned to his companion "Atsushi?"  
"Well…" he put on his glasses again. "I cannot say that I am not surprised by the choice of armament, it was quite unorthodox."  
"Why? What weapons are we getting?"  
"Here we are." Announced the craftsman. They had arrived at a larger open space between the buildings, where a set of wooden crates were lined up neatly in three  
different piles.  
Two other craftsmen took out crowbars and opened one chest of each pile. Atsushi and Koharu both stared in amazement at the contents of the boxes. One held stick grenades, another long knives, with partially serrated edges, and the last contained guns of two types, some larger and some smaller.  
Atsushi examined the piles of crates "And this is all for us?"  
The craftsman nodded.  
"Everything you see here. We're out of resources though, this used our whole stock. We'll have to start from scratch now since we weren't prepared for something like this. So, you'll be taking it with you?"  
There was a moment's silence, then Koharu said "Well, I can't speak for everyone, but I sure don't fancy lugging these things all the way to the surface."  
"That is a flaw we did not consider…" Atsushi agreed.  
"There is a secondary entrance to Guild which lies under contact bridge two, by the river. It's a much easier way to get things to the surface since we have mine tracks there." The craftsman suggested.  
Yusa nodded "You do that, I'll go and find Tadayoshi, see what he thinks about this."  
She walked off, wandering where that he could have gone too. I can't have been that far.

She found them in one of the buildings, bent over a table. The room was dimly lit by a single overhead light bulb, and the two were discussing something and pointing at various things in the table.  
Chaa was speaking, his hands crossed in front of his chest "…weren't prepared for something like this, we're not ready."  
"Oh yeah?" Tadayoshi gestured around in the air "You built this place. In comparison, that is nothing!"  
Chaa shook his head. "This used to be where we mined for resources, and eventually we just moved our facilities here. But what you want is something completely different."  
"But can you do it?"  
"Of course we can, it's just a matter of time."  
"How long?"  
Chaa thought for a while. "A week, maybe less."  
Tadayoshi was nearly knocked off his feet, and smiled.  
"And here you had me worried that it might never be completed. A week it is then. Now, I thought we just needed to discuss-"  
"Ahem"  
Both of them were startled, and turned to look at Yusa.  
Tadayoshi looked suspiciously at her.  
"What are you doing here?"  
"I just wondered where you'd gone. And there's something else, the others are busy taking all the equipment to the surface. They're going to store it near the river."  
"Ah, good. Is everything there?"  
"It looked like it, there was a lot of it."  
"Well then, there's nothing for us left to do down here."  
"Have you got any idea when Yurippe might be coming next time?" Chaa asked.  
Yusa leant over and whispered in Tadayoshi's ear.  
"They used up all their ammunition stores. They'll have to make a trip down here very soon."  
Tadayoshi nodded, under the guise of having been told something that he already knew, and addressed Chaa.  
"She'll be coming around tonight, but she'll call ahead as she usually does to tell you to switch off the traps."  
Chaa nodded.  
"Right" then he stretched out his hand "It was goo doing business with you; I hope we can work together more in future."  
Tadayoshi shook it.  
"I dare say that we will."

* * *

Gymnasium – 5.35 p.m

When they finally had returned to the surface, Tadayoshi relaxed. All had gone well, better than he had hoped. And that the final part of the preparations would be ready in just a week was good news. They heaved the stacked chairs back under the stage, where they hid the entrance to the long network of passageways to Guild. Hopefully no one would notice that they'd been here.  
"That was a bit scary…but it turned out to be harmless, didn't it?" Koharu remarked as they left the Gymnasium. All except Tadayoshi and unsurprisingly Yusa were smiling with relief.  
"I was surprised, all things considered." Atsushi agreed.  
"Did you manage to get all the guns to the surface?" Tadayoshi asked, not in the mood to celebrate this small victory.  
"Eh, yes, it's all ready, down by the river." Atsushi replied.  
"Hidden from sight of course?"  
"Of course!" he assured him.  
"Are you sure that we need all those guns and other weapons?" Atsushi asked Tadayoshi "It seemed to me to be a bit…how do you phrase it…overkill."  
Tadayoshi shot him an angry look "We won't have a chance against Angel by being squeamish. I would have ordered more weapons and I still plan to." The tone of his voice had risen considerably.  
"I won't stop until we're rid of her, and I'll use every ounce of force necessary to-"  
Yusa suddenly dived sideways, pushing the other three into the bushes "Get down!"  
There they lay, still, the wind knocked out of them. Tadayoshi was about to complain when he heard voices drawing closer.  
"So…where's the entrance to Guild anyway?" said a voice that Tadayoshi recognized, but couldn't remember from where.  
The next voice almost made Tadayoshi curse, but he controlled himself.  
"In the Gymnasium, under the stage."  
It was Yurippe.  
A group of eight people past them, clearly headed for the place they had just left. If Yusa hadn't tackled them, they would have been seen, and their whole plan for nothing.  
The inner circle of the SSS receded out of earshot, before anyone dared move again.  
Tadayoshi sighed.  
"Thanks Yusa, I can't imagine-" then he realized where he was lying.  
He was on his back, and once again, Yusa was on top of him. And to make matters worse, just like when she had tackled him in front of the SSS meeting room, he had his hand on her chest.  
"I…eh…" he moved his hand away quickly "Sorry"  
Yusa stood up and straightened her uniform.  
"This had better not keep happening" she said.  
Tadayoshi got up as well, not daring to look at her.  
"Agreed."  
Koharu was whimpering.  
"Why….why this again?"  
Yusa rounded on him.  
"I told you before, we're not a couple."  
"Almost" he sniffed.  
"Grow up." Tadayoshi scolded him.  
Atsushi looked in the direction that Yusa and the rest had gone, then took of his glasses and polished them on the front of his jacket.  
"I wonder if they will notice that we were there before them. Chaa might tell them something."  
Tadayoshi nodded.  
"True, but that's a risk we have to take. There's no way we could have gotten all we needed without Guild."  
Yusa interrupted them.  
"What were you and Chaa talking about when I saw you?"  
"Aha!" Tadayoshi pointed an accusing finger at her "So you DID spy on us!"  
"What was it about?"  
Tadayoshi chuckled and crosses his arms.  
"What's so funny?" Koharu asked.  
Tadayoshi looked at their confused faces.  
"You'll find out soon enough, but I guarantee that it's going to be great."  
He walked away from them, back to the dormitories, and the others, still very puzzled, followed.

* * *

Boys Dormitory - 11.47 p.m

During the night, Tadayoshi was woken by a distant rumbling that sounded almost like thunder. Almost, but not quite. In his half-dazed state, he also noticed that the bed was shaking slightly, as if there was a small earthquake. But there were no earthquakes here. Not in the Afterlife. Something, or rather someone, must have caused the explosion. From what he knew, the only one with enough explosives to cause that kind of a disturbance was Guild, and he deeply hoped that this didn't mean what he thought it meant.

* * *

Academy Dining Hall – Following day, 1.08 p.m

Tadayoshi saw that all three of them sat at a table together, seemingly immersed in deep conversation. He took his tray and at down next to Kuroda and listened to what they were discussing.  
"I'm telling you" Kuroda was saying "There was an earthquake"  
"Idiot" Yusa told him "This is the afterlife, there aren't any earthquakes here"  
"This is supposed to be a perfect simulation of a real school isn't it? Who says that there can't be earthquakes?"  
"For the same reason that no one ever gets sick or dies. Exactly because it's supposed to be a perfect world."  
"Four-eyes" Kuroda addressed Atsushi "What do you think?"  
Atsushi took of his glasses and polished them.  
"Yusa brings forth a more rational argument I think. I do not believe that it was an earthquake.  
Whatever it was, it wasn't natural."  
"Tadayoshi?" Yusa asked.  
Until now he had just been eating, but at the sound of his name he placed down his chopsticks and dabbed his mouth on a napkin. The dish he was eating…he remembered now why it tasted so bitter now. It was what he'd eaten on the day that he…  
"Tadayoshi?" she asked again.  
He looked up and stared at them all.  
"It wasn't an earthquake. They blew up Guild."  
There was silence around the table as they stared at him.  
"How do you know for sure?" Koharu asked suspiciously.  
Tadayoshi interlocked his fingers over the table "It is the only logical explanation."  
"Why would they destroy their only source of supplies? It makes no sense." Atsushi murmured.  
"Only one reason. Angel. They didn't want her to get Guild in her hands. So they destroyed it. It's what I would do."  
Each of them sat there silent for a moment, not touching food or drink.  
Yusa broke the silence.  
"What happens now?"  
Tadayoshi had thought about this.  
"Nothing, we continue as if nothing had happened. We won't let that stop us. Besides, Yurippe depends on Guild for supplies. They'll set up shop somewhere else and continue on from there, so there's no reason to worry."  
He went back to eating.  
"Why do you know all this?" Koharu asked, also starting to shovel down food again.  
"Because" he swallowed "Because I just do. It's how I think."  
"Chaa did call and say that the project will continue anyway" Yusa said casually.  
"What? Why didn't you say so before?"  
She shrugged.  
"I guess I forgot."  
"Well" Tadayoshi sat back in his chair "at least some good news. I was worried."  
He then noticed that they were all looking at him inquisitively.  
"What?"  
"You never told us what exactly it is that you and Chaa discussed down in Guild." said Atsushi.  
"I guess you have a right to know."  
He leant forward over the table, and the others did too so that they could hear what he was saying_._  
"We've got several dozen people on our side, but no place where we can meet securely. I asked Chaa whether Guild could manage to construct a base for us. Underground. A bunker of you wish, that has everything we need."  
"It seems like a good idea." Atsushi agreed.  
"It's a place where we can discuss our plan and no one can find us." Tadayoshi continued "Not Angel, and not them." he pointed his spoon at the table where the inner circle of the SSS was eating together. "And by the end of this week, we'll be ready to move in."  
Seemingly satisfied, they went back to eating. Tadayoshi was still looking at the table of the SSS members, especially at Yurippe._  
You think you're such a great leader, and you may have many others convinced, but I'll prove you otherwise. There you sit, unaware of the discontent and treason spreading through your own ranks. You want to be in charge? First you're going to have to go past me._  
He glanced at Yusa, silent and unemotional as ever and at Koharu and Atsushi, arguing over who knows what again._  
What do I really care about them? I have my own goals to accomplish, but I can't do it alone, I need their help. What is the objective? To take down Angel and gain control over this world. And I'll make sure that I'll be the one in power._  
Gazing around the dining hall. He realized what bliss this existence must be…if you hadn't been marked so deeply by your life the way he had been. This world was supposed to replace a portion of your existence which you regretted.  
He smiled slightly._  
Here you're supposed to get what was denied to you in life, and if there is a God, I swear by him that I'll take what was denied to me, and what I wanted, whatever it takes._


	4. 04 Mortal Soul

Parking Area – 8.51 a.m.

Tadayoshi strolled along the empty, tar-covered space that was supposed to serve as a location where vehicles could be left. It was a joke really, just one more thing to make the whole construct of a school seem more authentic. There was a bus, it was the one that had brought him here, but he didn't know where it went, nor did he really care. What mattered was that this place was always deserted, and no one paid close attention to it. Scattered around the area were lamp posts, which were all functional, illuminating the place at night. He walked casually over to one of these posts, and flipped open a secret hatch in the steel pillar, revealing a button. He pressed it and closed the hatch and waited. It seemed as though the earth had suddenly decided to collapse into itself. A large square section of the car park sunk quietly and rapidly down, with him standing on it. It was simple really; a series of oversized piston supported a section of the ground, and could raise and lower it at the push of a single button. It was also the entrance to the base. The platform sunk deeper and deeper below the earth, and then in front of him a large cavern opened up, perfectly square, at the end of which was a large steel door, that ran from floor to ceiling. At either side of this massive door were two armed guards, a boy and a girl, in the uniform of the SSS. They nodded as he approached, and stood aside. The door, which had resembled a steel sheet before, split down a seam in the middle, and the two halves moved away from each other, forming a narrow entrance. It seemed like overkill, but it was necessary to keep Angel from getting in, should she ever discover their hideout. He walked in, following a spacious but dimly lit passageway. The doors shut behind him, and the sound of metal against metal reverberated around the hall. It grew steadily lighter, and suddenly the passage emptied into a cavernous room. It was also geometrical, rectangular in shape. It wasn't a drab grey, it had been whitewashed to reflect the light that came from large overhead strip lamps, and the floor itself was paved with large slabs of marble. Almost three stories high the vaulted ceiling soared above. Pillars line the walls on both sides, supporting balconies which ran continuously around the room on two levels. Behind these pillars were doors leading off to other areas of the facility, a communications center, a computer lab, an infirmary, a dojo, and most importantly of all, an arsenal. Facing him at the far end of the room was a magnificent staircase that leads to the upper levels, which contained storage rooms, facilities, a kitchen, and a mess hall. There was a lot of activity in the base. Even though they had moved in days ago, it still wasn't fully prepared. Several students were pulling on a rope and hauling a giant banner onto the wall behind the staircase.  
"Heave! Heave!"  
"Higher! A little more! Perfect!"  
The banned hung triumphantly, displaying the crest of the Legion, a crest that was also visible on the patched the students wore on their uniforms instead of the SSS coat of arms. Tadayoshi looked down at his own arm, where the symbol proudly displayed his allegiance. It looked similar to the ones the SSS members bore, but with some defining differences. The three diagonal 'S' were replaced by two other symbols, Α and Λ, the Cyrillic initials of the Immortal Legion. The motto too was different, based on popular consent. The new caption read 'eternal life - eternal youth' in short, immorality. This was supposed to be the day of completion, when they could finally settle down in the new quarters. It was also the day that the new leader of the Legion was going to be announced to all present members. Tadayoshi looked up to where the banner hung. Above it was a large glass window. He knew what was behind it; he had designed it that way. It was the tactical room, the place where the leader sat and made plans. He turned left and walked into the armory. It was a room of normal height, and had two entrances, which would help when many people at once had to get their weapons in an emergency. The front room was connected to a back room via a counter where weapons were handed out by someone who was stationed there.  
At the moment, the place was unoccupied.  
Tadayoshi went through a door to the actual arsenal. Lining the walls were the rifles he had ordered, the grenades resided in large crates. Tadayoshi went to a closet and unlocked the door. Inside was a single wooden box. It belonged to him, another special order he had placed with Guild, one which took them a long time to make. He replaced the box on its shelf and locked the door again. He wouldn't need it yet.  
He felt as if he was being watched.  
He turned around and saw Yusa standing in the doorway.  
He said nothing.  
"Are you nervous?" she asked.  
"Somewhat" he replied.  
"Understandable."  
"This is my brain-child after all"  
"I just wanted to say that the ceremony will begin soon. You should be there too."  
"Okay, got it, I'm coming."  
He followed her out of the Arsenal into the main hall.

All members of the Legion congregated there. On the steps leading to the upper floors a podium had been placed. Someone was going to hold a speech apparently. There was a buzz of talk, as people were discussing what was going to happen now. Yusa listened around, and it seemed that most people had no idea. She found Koharu and the others, waiting and looking to the front.  
"Do we know how the leader will be elected?" Atsushi asked Koharu  
"Beats me." he said, then he caught sight of her "Hey Yusa!"  
"What?"  
"I…I just wanted to say 'hi'."  
She stared at him.  
"Eh…anyway, where's Tadayoshi?"  
Yusa looked behind herm but Tadayoshi had disappeared.  
"I thought he was following me…"  
"Well, he'll be sorry to have missed this."  
A student walked up the stairs, stood behind the podium and tapped the microphone.  
A screeching sound came out o the speakers that hung around the room and made everyone cover their ears in pain.  
Then he began to talk.  
"May I have no attention please?"  
There was no need for that; he already had everyone's undivided attention.  
"Our headquarters have finally been completed, but we are still not fully finished. We need a leader. Someone who can coordinate us, for without coordination, we can never accomplish anything. Without a leader, we will fall into chaos." He paused for dramatic effect "That is why I have the honor of presenting the man who will lead us all in the fight against Angel."  
"There won't be an election? They already agreed on someone?" Koharu whispered.  
The speaker continued.  
"I now give the word to our new leader, Tadayoshi Konno!"  
The applause that followed drowned out Koharu's shout of "WHAT?"  
Tadayoshi ascended the steps and stood behind the podium, then raised a hand until the applause died down.  
"My fellow legionnaires, it is a great honor that I have been chosen to lead you. We don't have much time, so I will keep it brief. This here is our last stand. After this, there is nothing. Our lives were unjust; our afterlife won't be, not if we take action. It is our right to command who we are and what we do ourselves, and not by some higher being. Look at our symbol, look at our banner!"  
He gestured to the wall behind him.  
"That is my promise, and I will settle for no less!"  
More applause.  
Tadayoshi waited for the noise to die down again, the continued in a calm and quite tone.  
"This day will be our first test. It will demand everything of us. We must show courage and solidarity in the upcoming operation. This will be our trial, and it will decide our fate."  
His voice rose.  
"And if we work together, and act as one, we shall prevail!"  
Applauding and cheering. Tadayoshi conjured a black beret from nowhere and put it on his head, securing it with a firm tug.  
"For the Legion!"  
The chant was repeated over and over, and the echoes reverberated off the walls so that it seemed like a thousand voices were chanting in unison.

Tadayoshi relaxed in the leather chair, and swiveled from side to side, then making a full turn, coming to a full stop when he saw that four people were staring at him over the top of his desk.  
"What?"  
"Why didn't you tell us?" Koharu asked  
"Tell you what? That I was going to be the leader of the Legion? I thought that was obvious."  
Atsushi took off his glasses and polished them.  
"It was logical when you give the matter deeper thought."  
"You see?" Tadayoshi put his legs up on the desk "And now that's established, we might as well begin discussing the mission. Get the squad leaders in here and we'll see."  
The legion was large enough to be divided into smaller groups. Each of these squads of nine was led by one person, seven all in all, and those now filed into the room ant took up positions at the tactical table. Tadayoshi rose from his chair and strolled over to the table.  
"Gentlemen, ladies" he greeted them "The operation today will be major, and I trust that each and every one of you will take it seriously."  
The table was a scaled model of the whole school, which included every building and even small figurines that represented different factions.  
"As of now we are beginning operation 'Quake'. The goal of this operation is to secure the records of all non-NPC students in the teacher's building."  
He placed a finger on the corresponding model, then took a green figure and placed it next to the replica.  
"One squad will infiltrate the building and steal the records, which are located on the second floor."  
One of the squad leaders raised a hand.  
"But how will get in there without being seen?"  
Tadayoshi nodded.  
"Good question. We don't have a distraction unit like the SSS, so I chose something different, but just as effective."  
He pointed to various places on the table.  
"Planted underground in several locations on the campus are large caches of explosives. Those will be detonated at the according time and shake the ground. It will be felt as an earthquake without causing any damage to the structural integrity of the surface. We wouldn't want any buildings to collapse, do we?"  
All faces around the table displayed shock and surprise, but Tadayoshi ignored them and continued on.  
"When the first detonation shakes the ground, people will be in panic, running for the exits. I'm very sure that there is some sort of emergency plan that the NPC's must follow in case of an event like this. While one squad will be occupied searching for the records, the others responsibility is to make sure that Yurippe and her group stay out of our way, and most importantly, don't find out what we're up to. Do anything to get them away from the target building, drag them into the open if you have to. Angel herself will be too busy chaperoning the students, as it is her duty. Is that all clear?"  
No one spoke.  
"The plan is already set into motion. Grab your weapons, get your troops together and station yourself to wait for the signal."  
He looked at the squad leaders, and saw them nod back at him in turn.  
"Operation start!"  
He smiled.  
_I always wanted to say that._

* * *

Dining Hall – 9.47 a.m.

Yusa was standing on the roof, looking around at the campus with a pair of binoculars. The she spoke into hear headset.  
"The grounds are deserted. All students and teachers are sitting in their classrooms"  
"_And Angel?_"  
"The same goes for her"

In the underground bunker, Tadayoshi was bending over the map, one hand on the earphone of his own headset, the other moving around the small figurines on the tactic table, positioning them to correspond with the squads', the SSS members' and Angel's locations.  
"Where is the infiltration team?" he asked her.  
"_In the position you appointed them, just below Contact Bridge two. From there they will infiltrate the teacher building, get the records and then exfiltrate via our secondary access tunnel and arrive back at base_."  
"Good. Let the operation begin. Yusa, you might want to hold on to something, just saying."  
Yusa followed his advice and gripped the handrails tightly.  
Tadayoshi put his finger on a device with a large red button in the center.  
"Let the games begin!"  
He pressed down. A lot of calculations had gone into the placement of the explosives. They needed to explode with just enough force to cause tremors above ground, but stay minor enough not to actually damage anything which might endanger humans and NPC's. Nevertheless, when the quake shook the Dining Hall, Yusa was almost swept off her feet, an clutched onto the rail to regain her balance. Tadayoshi felt nothing; the bunker was constructed in a way to absorb the shocks, but he heard the explosions and the rumbling through his headset. He imagined the chaos that would ensue now, and couldn't suppress a chuckle.  
"Hm-hm…haha…HAHAHAHAHAHA-!"  
"_You're laughing just like Yurippe does. Are you a villain?_"  
"Don't ruin the moment for me!"

Koharu was a part of the infiltration team that waited for the earthquake to make their move. When it came, most of the squad lost balance and fell to the ground.  
"That's our cue! Let's go!"  
The climbed up to the higher ground, but stayed out of sight.  
"We've got to wait until everyone's gone, then we can go and steal the records."  
They watched as students began to leave the various school buildings in various degrees of panic. The teachers were doing a fair job of keeping them together and organized as they led them down onto the sports fields.

Yusa searched the flood of students for familiar faces.  
"_Any sign of Angel?_" Tadayoshi's voice said in her ear.  
"Found her." She said "Angel was leading the students, and at the same time looking around as if she was searching for something, her expression betraying nothing.  
"_How does she look?_"  
"Not confused, if that is what you mean, but she's looking for something, or someone."  
"_The SSS no doubt. She probably already believes that they are to blame, and in a way she's right. If we can't make this seem like it was caused naturally, we can at least pin it on Yurippe. Two birds with one stone_. _What about Yurippe? Can you see her anywhere?_"  
Yusa swept the crowd with her binoculars, then swung her gaze upwards toward the teacher's building.  
"Affirmative, they're just leaving the target location. They were most likely in their own headquarters. And they look a bit suspicious."

Tadayoshi moved Angel's figurine to the sports field, followed by that of the SSS, then placed one squad figure in front of the teacher's building. He stood back and observed the constellation.  
"They know that this isn't natural, but they can't figure out what happened. Anyway, the target is clear, our infiltration team has green light."

Koharu watched the nine SSS members leave the teachers building, Yurippe purposefully leading them, followed by someone twirling a large axe. The rear was brought up by someone with a red bandana, who seemed to be dancing along, rather than walking. When they had disappeared out of sight down the steps, Koharu gave everyone the thumbs up. They ran up the last part of the bank, across the open space and into the teacher's building. Yusa watched them from afar.  
"The squad has just entered the target zone."  
"_Good_"  
Once on the second floor, the infiltration team searched for the records room, pointing their assault rifles and machine pistols ahead of them, ready to shoot at the first sign of trouble. Koharu took point, leading the team through the hallway, constantly giving hand motions to the rest. They probably didn't know what it meant, but he had seen it done in a movie and thought it looked cool. He checked the plaques above each room as they passed, searching for the right one, but after reaching the end of the hall, he stopped.  
"Anyone see the room we were supposed to go in?"  
The other eight people that were with him shook their heads.  
"Then we've got a problem"  
"Maybe" a girl said, adjusting the strap of her machine pistol "Maybe we need to go up one more floor."  
Koharu thought for a moment.  
"All right, but be careful, the anti-Angel headquarters are up there as well."  
They headed up one more flight of steps. When they reached the landing, Koharu pointed his rifle done each corridor first, then motioned for the others to follow him. He repeated the routine he had done below, looking at the plaques that were fixed over the frames of each door. Finally, at the second to last door, he found what he was looking for.  
"The student records are here."  
He tried to open the door, locked.  
"Damn…" he cursed. "Stand back"  
He pointed his rifle at the lock and fired. Taken completely unaware, the rest of the squad flinched as the wood splintered and bits flew in all directions.  
"You idiot! That was too loud!" the girl from before hissed at him.  
"So what else should I have done, huh?"  
"You could have just rammed the door; it's not that thick! Not as much as you are anyway!"  
He stood there as she entered the room past him, followed by the others. Koharu grabbed two of the people that were just about to enter.  
"You stand guard, make sure that we're not surprised" he told them, then went inside the room himself.  
Everyone inside was already busy opening cabinets. They had all received lists that were alphabetically ordered, with the names of the student files that needed removing. Koharu took his own list out of his jacket. His letter was 'T'. His eyes scanned the list, and noticed that Tadayoshi was one of the first on there. He secretly wondered what was written on these files that made them so important. Sure it couldn't hurt to take a look? He opened a cabinet, while the others around him were doing the same, and rifled through the files until he found Tadayoshi's. In the flurry of activity, no one noticed when he took a peek inside. His eyes widened in shock and he quickly closed it again, then proceeded to pull out all other files as well. Just then there was a sound of glass shattering just outside the door and a long scream. Koharu gathered up the files and ran to the door, followed by all the others who had also heard. A giant hammer was hanging down from the ceiling, and the window at one end had been shattered. Instead of two guards, there was only one left in the hallway.  
"What happened?!"  
The boy quavered at Koharu's tone.  
"He…he wanted to take a look inside the anti-Angel headquarters. Then the hammer came down and he flew out the window."  
Koharu dashed to the window, the files clutched to his chest. Sure enough, he saw a somewhat distorted body on the ground a distance from the building. Clearly he had been killed.

Yusa had watched as it happened. The shattering glass had echoed far enough for her to hear, and she now reported the situation to Tadayoshi.  
"It was a very audible sound" she said into the microphone  
_"Those idiots! I gave them clear instructions not to go into that room! And now Yurippe is on her way back right?"_  
Yusa gazed through her binoculars, searching.  
"Yes, there she is. They're on their way back to headquarters."  
_"The next opportunity I get I'll order a crate full of walkie-talkies from Guild! I can't have this happen again!"_  
"Mobile communication devices are very rare; they won't be easy to come by."  
_"I'll_ make_ it happen! Are they moving out of the area at least?"_  
"I can't see through buildings."

Koharu took one last look at the body then turned to the rest of the squad.  
"Get the files and let's get out of here. We'll grab the idiot on our way down."  
He stuffed the files under his jacket, and moments later they were on their way down. But just as they were about to exit the door, they came face to face with Yurippe. For a moment, the two groups just stared at each other. Yurippe's eyes flickered from the files in their hands, to the patches on their shoulders, to the guns in their hands.  
Someone whispered to Koharu.  
"What do we do now?"  
It was like a western film, with two gunslingers facing each other, waiting for the other to draw first.  
Koharu drew.  
"Fire!" he called out, lifting the barrel of his rifle up to face the SSS members who dove out of the way instantly, trying to avoid a hail of bullets.  
One by one, the other's joined in; creating a steady spread of bullets that covered their retreat to the other end of the building, while the SSS members hid around the corner to avoid being shot. Koharu used the butt of his rifle to smash the window and jumped out; cutting his hand on some glass shards, then helped others climb out the same way. When the last one had gone through the window, he sent precautionary burst of fire down the hall and ran off after the others, pausing only to scoop up the teenager that had been thrown out the window and put him over his shoulder. They tumbled down the banks to the river, and disappeared down the trap door that was concealed under the bridge, underground, to their bunker.

Yusa saw them go.  
"They made it. But I think they got into a gunfight with Yurippe"  
At the other end, Tadayoshi was silent in thought for a moment.  
_"It doesn't matter. They're too late to change anything. Whatever happens now will not affect us in any way. Now there is no stopping us."_  
"Yurippe will want to know what happened, what I saw."  
_"Tell her what you saw, but not what you know. It's better if she's unaware that your allegiance has shifted. Report back to me in person when you're done."_ Tadayoshi ended the transmission,  
Yusa switched to channel two, to be confronted by a very angry Yurippe.  
_"Yusa! Yusa answer me!"_  
Calm and emotionless as always she replied "Yusa here."  
"Where were you? I couldn't reach you!"  
"Problems with the earphone. Caused by the earthquake maybe."

Tadayoshi swiped the beret of his head and squeezed in his hand.  
"This is not supposed to happen! This is the maiden operation and will reflect badly on my leadership!"  
He glared at the squad leader around him.  
"If you're that concerned, then you should lead yourself next time." Yusa said.  
"And believe me, that's exactly what I'll do next time. Now, where are the files?"  
In reply, they stacked the records neatly on top of his desk.  
Tadayoshi sifted through them until he found a particular one.  
"Hmph…" he grumbled as he flipped through the pages "Good work all in all. Dismissed."  
Everyone left.  
He opened the file. The name on the label was Nakamura Yuri. He looked through the contents. Truancy, repeated disobedience, failing to pass tests, all of that was on her record, but nothing even remotely interesting. It seemed like the teachers were at a loss to explain why she, and all of her friends, preferred to act this way. He could understand their confusion. He put the file next to the stack. They might not contain the information he was searching for, but he might find an interesting scrap of information here and there, something that would give them an edge in combat over the Battlefront, because sooner or later there was going to be a fight. Tadayoshi continued to sit in the chair, browsing through the files one by one, but finding nothing of interest. When he was finally done, and looked up at the clock, he realized that it was well past any decent time. He sighed, stood up, put the beret on his head once again, and walked out of the office. When he reached the large doors that separated the base from the outside world, he threw over a large lever in the wall. The underground generators shut down, and the lights went out.

A while later he was walking through the parking lot, back to the dormitories. There was something eerie about the campus at night, even thought the lamps illuminated the path well. It was still discomforting. It was almost like he was being…watched. He stopped waking, his yes darting around; trying to spot the person h knew was there. And sure enough, he heard the footsteps. Small shoes, small feet. Female. And there she was, stepping into the light cast by a lamp, Angel. For a moment they stared at each other.  
"You're not allowed to be out here." she said, unemotionally.  
A bead of sweat formed on is brow and he clenched his teeth together in frustration. This was bad…really bad. He should not have made the mistake of leaving the bunker; he should have slept down there. But the victory over Yuri had made him feel invincible. And now he paid the price.  
With one swift motion he drew two things from inside his jacket. In his left hand he held a brand-new handgun, A Grach MP-443. It was large, and heavy, and with more firepower than the Beretta 92, Yuri's weapon. Size mattered after all. In the other was a short Katana, about eight inches long. He fired immediately, emptying his whole magazine in the process. He nailed every shot, and he had been too quick for Angel to react. She was bleeding from over a dozen gunshot wounds in her torso, and one on her forehead. But she healed quickly, the bullets being ejected from her body, the blood vanishing, and the skin healing over to leave her unblemished. Then she spoke, in a soft and yet deadly voice.  
"Guard skill: Hand Sonic"  
A blade materialized on her arm, and in the blink of an eye, she was upon him, moving with inhuman speed. He barely even had time to raise his right hand for the defense.  
It seemed as though they were locked in a tight embrace, but in fact, she was supporting him. Tadayoshi felt pain…incredible pain spreading throughout his stomach area. She had hit home, stabbing him right in the guts. He was still managing to stand, but barely. To his astonishment, he felt blood on his hands…not his blood. Then angel gave the smallest of gasps. A sharp intake of breath, as if she had been slightly shocked by something. Against all possibilities, he had managed to raise the katana just high enough for her to impale herself on it as she rushed at him. But this was small consolation, as he slumped more and more, leaning on Angel for support. She let him, even lowered him to the ground, and just stood there, staring at him. His beret was askew, and the blood from the wound in his stomach was slowly leaking, staining his clothes, making a puddle on the concrete floor. He wished he would just die. Just die and regenerate again. But this pain…it was unbearable…it was too much. He lay there for what seemed minutes the pain mounting, swerving in and out of consciousness. And all the while Angel was still watching. Was he imagining it, or was there a look of concern on her face? Maybe he was just delirious from the pain. Then he realized: this was the end. He should have healed by now, but instead he laid there, the life slowly draining from him. Why? Why must it end like this? Through the fog that was clouding his mind, he though he heard a soft voice.  
"I'm sorry."

He regained consciousness slowly, the first thing he felt was his midriff, which was till hurting like hell, but the pain had lessened now. He felt that he was lying somewhere soft, and warm and comfortable. Next he regained his sight, and he saw a solitary lamp hanging above him, illuminating the hospital bed he had rested in. But the room was not the sick bay of the school. It was a whitewashed room with no windows, and much more sparse as well. It was the infirmary, a room especially for the treatment of wounded legionnaires, in the bowels of the bunker. There was someone there with him. It was Yusa.  
He slowly spoke  
"What happened?"  
She replied in her usual fashion.  
"We found you, half dead on the campus. We took you here; it was the only place we could think of. You didn't die; you just kept bleeding on and on, so we did our best to heal you. Luckily some of the people here were doctors and surgeons when they were alive. They managed to stop the bleeding and bandaged you up. You were here ever since."  
He shifted his head, trying to look around. None of the other beds were occupied. He felt like a fool.  
"How long was I out?"  
"Just a day."  
"And I'll recover?"  
"Eventually. No one is sure how long it will take. You should have been dead."  
"All Angel's fault. SHE was the one who stabbed me!"  
"To be fair, you were out after hours. What she did was natural. You disobeyed the rules."  
But Tadayoshi didn't hear her. He was consumed with rage. It was shameful. He, the leader of the Immortal Legion had been almost killed. How was this possible? You couldn't die in this world! So how was it that he could? He would find out, whatever it took. He would train, and train until he could best Angel, no matter what power she had. And he would kill her, as soon as he found out how he would be able to do so. When she was mortal, he would be the one to put a bullet through her heart, to plunge his sword into her body. It would require meticulous planning, but he would prevail. He would have his vengeance.


	5. 05 Strict Regime

It was past school time. Most students were engaged in after school activities, sports and the like. With the exception of two groups. One was sitting around in the principal's office, holding a heated discussion. The other was deep underground, biding their time, planning their devious schemes, and preparing. The sound of distant shooting echoed around in the bunker. The thick walls that separated the dojo from the rest of the base reduced the noise. The dojo was a large long room, with concrete pillars at either side that seemed to hold up the ceiling, but in reality their purpose was almost purely cosmetic. The dojo was used as a training ground. Be that for hand-to-hand combat or as a classroom. Today however, it was a shooting range. A chalk line had been drawn at one end of the room, and targets were propped up against a wall on the other. A line of students stood behind the chalk line, holding pistols, firing at the targets in irregular intervals. Among them was Koharu. Even though their main weapons were machine pistols and assault rifles, Tadayoshi had insisted that they train with side arms as well, since they allowed for more mobility, and were more accurate indoors, which was always a possible place for fighting. Tadayoshi had also set up a score list, which showed which of the students were best at shooting. The logic was that this would create a competitive mood, and would encourage improvement. The assumption had been correct, and people ended up having to book their practice times. It had been several weeks since Operation Quake, the day that Tadayoshi had gotten injured by Angel. It had been kept a secret from the rest of the Legion. People would have asked questions, and overly inquisitive students were the last things they could use right now. Koharu on the other hand belonged to the small circle that knew, including Yusa and Atsushi.

Koharu's mag was empty. He reloaded and at the same time looked up at the scoreboard. He was number two, which was exceptional, but it's the number one that had surprised everybody. Tadayoshi had proved himself an extraordinary shooter, even with his injury. The legionnaires always cleared the floor when he approached to take his turn, and watched in awe as he demonstrated his skill. At one time, he had ordered to throw any object they could at him. None of what were essentially clay pigeons got even close to him. Tadayoshi blew them to bits in mid-air. That was a morale boost, for how could they go under with someone like that as their leader? Koharu had always been the best at everything during his life. Well, not everything, but his life consisted mainly of sports, and at that he had been very, very good. No one had been able to stand up to him. No one came even close. This experience, to not be the best, to be worse at something than someone else, to be second, was new to him. And he wouldn't stand for being second to anyone.

Yusa was sitting in the communications room, a place that was filled with electronic equipment of all sorts. It served as a relay station, a place where she could intercept messages sent by Yurippe or send out calls to the field from. Tadayoshi had explained the duties to her, saying that she was a spy. That was exciting. Until now, Yurippe hadn't been any the wiser about their wire-tapping, and they had intercepted countless calls. Some of the calls were even meant for Yusa herself, whom Yurippe had still believed was on her side. And Yusa duly noted down everything that was said, because any information could be of potential to the Legion. But recently the calls had gotten fewer. More carefully worded. Hardly any information had been given. Maybe Yuri suspected something…  
Then Yurippe spoke in her ear.  
"_Yusa, you there?"  
_"Yes" she answered, already scribbling the time and date on a notepad.  
"_I've finally got it. We'll apprehend the one who is responsible for everything that's been going wrong. I need you to be our eye in the sky. Make sure he doesn't try to escape."  
_"Understood. Yusa out."  
So this was it. Tadayoshi had predicted that this day would come, but still it had taken Yurippe longer than expected to find out whom their leader was. Now the question was what Yurippe had planned for him, and more importantly what Tadayoshi was going to do about it.  
A call came in. From the tactical room.  
"Yusa here." She said, switching the line.  
"_I was listening in. So."  
_"What do you intend to do?"  
"_I think I'll have a little chat with Yurippe and the Battlefront."  
_"You know that she will detain you."  
"_She can try, but she wont."  
_"Your choice."  
"_Indeed"  
_"Be careful"  
"_What?"  
_"Yusa out."

Tadayoshi put down the phone. That was an odd thing for Yusa to say. He dismissed it. Probably nothing. He rose from his chair, and immediately clutched his stomach. Underneath his jacket he was still bandaged. His wounds had mostly healed, but the pain resisted, and if he exerted himself too much the wounds opened again and bled. But he composed himself, and walked proudly, pausing only to take the pistol from his desk and holster it next to the short katana. If he was going into the lion's den then he would go fully armed. He left the room and walked down the stairs into the main hall. The legionnaires gathered around, apparently Yusa had relayed the news to everyone. They were in line, forming an alley that lead to the large gates. They saluted him as they passed, showing the respect that he had gained among their ranks. He had taken to attending class, and he found that it was easier than during life. Here, he was free. Especially history appealed to him for some reason, and as he walked down this alley, he was reminded very much of the abdication of the last Ottoman Sultan. It must have been somewhat like this. The captain leaving the ship, like Chancellor Bismarck of Germany. But unlike either of them, he would be back.

He stood before the door to the anti-angel headquarters. How would they react? He had prepared himself, read all the intelligence that they had gathered on all of the members. There were some he would have to worry about, but most were completely harmless.  
"There is no God, Buddha, or Angel"  
He opened the door. He was expected. Yurippe sat behind on the front of the desk, arms crossed. The others sat around on the sofas, stood at the windows, and he even spotted a girl standing in the shadows off to one wall.  
All eyes flickered towards him, and Yurippe looked up.  
"Are you Tadayoshi?" she asked. He couldn't read her expression.  
"Yes."  
One guy reacted very severely.  
"How dare you betray Yurippe?! For that you'll die a thousand times!"  
He'd been fiddling around with a large axe before, and now he was rushing at him, swinging the weapon as if he wished to take off his head. Tadayoshi sidestepped him, and the momentum took him too far. With one swipe, Tadayoshi drew the katana from its sheath and stabbed him in the back. The attacker keeled over and lay still on the floor.  
There was gasping from many of the people in the room, a few bore looks of surprise, some of mistrust and weariness. Tadayoshi shook the katana, dispelling any drops of blood, and sheathed it again. He was not skilled with the sword, quite the opposite, he sucked using it. But the thing was, the guy on the floor was even worse…in timing.  
"So, what is it that you want from me?" he asked.  
In the background, he heard someone whispering.  
"He killed Noda!"  
Tadayoshi acknowledged it. It seemed like the guy he had put down was considered a formidable fighter. This just added to his legitimacy as a leader.  
"I think you know perfectly well."  
Tadayoshi smirked slightly "I'm not aware that I have done anything wrong."  
Yuri raised an eyebrow at him.  
"Oh yeah? You found a group. You take away the members of the battlefront, and you fight against us?"  
"We're not fighting against you. We're fighting against Angel, against God, against the injustice that we experienced in our lives. We just don't want you to get in our way."  
"You're a lunatic, and your organization is a rag-tag bunch of unfortunate people that have been, misled by your propaganda."  
Tadayoshi walked towards her, his gaze unwavering. He would not back down.  
"Rag-tag you call us? Disorganized? You accuse my legionnaires of being misled? I think they have made the right choice in joining me and fighting for the cause in a different way, a more effective way. After all, we were the ones who made the earth tremble to get you out of the way, and we succeeded too."  
Yurippe gritted her teeth.  
"You call them your 'Legionnaires'. You don't even have a proper name as a movement."  
"Yes we do."  
"What?"  
"We are the Immortal Legion."  
This pushed Yurippe over the edge.  
"'IMMORTAL LEGION'? THERE ISN'T EVEN A 'BATTLEFRONT' IN THERE!"  
"Yes, because you were having so much success with that scout troop that you so proudly call a  
'battlefront'"  
"This is stupid"  
The voice emanated from a corner of the room, from the girl that Tadayoshi had noticed upon entering. Tadayoshi glanced at her for a second, and then turned his full attention back to Yurippe.  
"I agree with the ninja, this IS a pointless discussion. We decided to take matters into our own hands, and no one, least of all you will stop us! Our name is a promise! We will take this world for ourselves, and we will become immortal. And we don't need you to tell us what to do to get there."  
There were eight other people in the room, but none of them had so far spoken a single word. Noda still lay unmoving on the floor.  
Then a heavyset guy planted himself in front of Yurippe, cracking his knuckles.  
"Should we take care of him Yuri?"  
Tadayoshi tensed. If he were going to attack him, he'd be in serious trouble. That guy looked like he knew how to fight properly. But Yurippe stopped him, pushing him aside to stand right in front of Tadayoshi. They glared at each other for a moment. Tadayoshi giving her a cold, defiant stare, while she glared at him, scrutinizing him.  
"We'll see."  
He stared unblinkingly back at her.  
"The future will bring us the truth." He said  
"Time will decide who of us is in the right."  
"And time will decide that we are superior."  
"No…that WE are superior!"  
"WE are the better ones! I am the better leader!"  
"HA! As if, I'm far better than you!"  
"Could you two stop arguing like an old married couple?"  
Tadayoshi turned and walked away.  
"I have nothing more to say to you, except that you had better watch yourself Yurippe." Tadayoshi glanced back one last time at her "I've got eyes and ears everywhere"  
He paused. The one they had called Noda was moving again, his arm reaching for the axe he had dropped when he was killed. Tadayoshi kicked the weapon out of his range, pulled his gun, and shot Noda in the back of the head. He exited and shut the door behind himself, leaving behind a room of people filled with astonishment at this strange encounter.  
"Scary" Hinata commented.  
"He killed Noda_ twice_" Oyama was trembling in fear.  
Matsushita looked away from the door Tadayoshi had gone through.  
"Should we be worried Yurippe?"  
Takamatsu adjusted his glasses.  
"He seems somewhat deranged."  
Yurippe thought for a moment, and then addressed the room at large.  
"For now we should concentrate on our own goals. Operation Tornado will be staging again tonight. We can deal with Tadayoshi and his Legion later. We must not allow him to distract us."  
TK danced on the spot, then gave Yuri the finger pistols.  
"No problem boss!"  
The mood in the base was tense. There was only a semblance of activity going on. People hang around, waiting for their leader to return. Some tried to busy themselves with taking care of weapons or other things, but mostly, it was strained.

Yusa was in the communications room, scanning frequencies for no purpose other than busying herself. Maybe she could pick up something from Yurippe, she always had that channel turned on, just in case. Yurippe had not yet noticed that she was a double agent, and she would prefer to keep it that way.  
Why had she joined the legion, she asked herself. The better question would have been why not? I essence both were doing the same thing, trying to get revenge for their unjust lives, but using different methods. Her motivation was not a need for revenge. She had a talent that she could use to help others, something she was good at. So she used it, and made herself available to those who had need of the skill.  
More and more she found herself drawn to the Legion though. In her mind she played with the though of abandoning the Battlefront entirely. There was something about Tadayoshi that drew her in. He had charisma. He was the leader of this organization, and had managed to build it up from nothing, and conducted an operation that was complex both in organization and execution. That counted for something.  
Then she heard Tadayoshi's voice over the intercom.  
"_Yusa, I'm back_."  
"Understood" she said into her mike "We've been waiting for you."

Moments later, the giant pistons could be heard lowering the platform to the antechamber. Yusa left the communications room and went to stand in the grand hall, where everyone had started to gather, watching the giant steel doors expectantly.  
Then the giant hinges turned, and they opened slightly, just enough to allow a person to pass, and Tadayoshi strode in. He looked neither left or right, and plowed through the sea of people that had formed in front of him. He ascended the steps to the podium, and turned to face the legionnaires.  
He took one look around, and then raised his fist into the air.  
"The Legion lives!" he declared.  
Cheering erupted around him, a deafening sound. Some people still had their guns clutched in their hands, and shook them in the air in celebration.  
Tadayoshi had announced that to crown this day of achievement, there would be a shooting contest in the dojo, which would determine the best marksman of the Legion, who was to receive a special prize from Tadayoshi himself.  
The enthusiasm for the tournament was great, and many people entered the competition, whilst the others watched from the stands behind the bulletproof glass window.  
The dojo was repurposed for this tournament. A chalk line was drawn on the floor, to mark where the contestants would stand, and paper targets were set up at the other end of the room.  
A giant notice board was also erected, showing all of the contestants' names. Among then were Koharu and even Tadayoshi himself.  
All afternoon the guns fired, the targets were retrieved and points were noted down.

Koharu was doing well, beating his every opponent with ease, in death as he had done in life. With only a few matches left to go, he was feeling confident that he was going to win the prize, whatever it was. But he also noticed, when he glanced at the notice board, that Tadayoshi wasn't slacking off either, beating his opponents just as badly as he himself was. To Koharu, this was suspicious. No one had ever been able to compete with him, and Tadayoshi, although he was the leader of the Legion, didn't strike him as a winner type. How could it be that he was beating him in the tournament AND with Yusa? For some reason, he had managed to make Yusa not interested in him anymore. Maybe it was BECAUSE he was the leader. He was good talker; maybe he had managed to convince his opponents to lose to him purposefully.

Koharu had a break in between two matches, so he decided to go sit on the stands, and watch. As luck would have it, Tadayoshi was one of the contestants in this round. Maybe he would lose this time, the ones that were left had been doing competitive shooting in their life, or even came from the army in some rare cases.  
Behind the bulletproof glass, Koharu saw Tadayoshi and his opponent shake hands, and then walk to their respective markings to wait.  
The discipline was structured in an Olympic fashion. There was a set of six targets at the other end of the room. Each contestant had a pistol with eight shots, and a total of six seconds in which to shoot them. Each hit gave a point, the more accurate the hit, the more points. Bonus points were given if the marksman didn't use all eight shots, or was finished under the time limit, although the latter was almost impossible to achieve.  
Koharu watched as the contestant stepped up to the line. A buzzer sounded to start the countdown, and he squeezed off six shots. Very accurate. Some were slightly off from the middle, but all in all, a good run.  
Then came Tadayoshi.  
The buzzer sounded again, and Tadayoshi shot six times in rapid succession, each bullet penetrating the target at bulls-eye.  
Koharu rose from his chair in shock.  
How did he do that? It was not possible!  
The second round started. Again Tadayoshi proved far superior to his opponent. Koharu watched with increasing trepidation, wondering what made Tadayoshi such a good marksman. His technique was not refined, but his hand was very steady. Koharu noted the eyes. Whenever Tadayoshi stepped up to fire, his eyes seemed to fill with fury and anger, his mouth contorted as if he was suppressing the urge to scream. There was something definitely wrong with him.

The tournament continued in this fashion, until there were only two contestants left. Tadayoshi and Koharu himself. The rest of the legion, including the contestants that had fallen out, had all gathered in the stands to watch the spectacle that was about to occur. They had all witnessed both of the shooter's abilities, an they were sure that this was going to be a monumental duel between the two.  
Koharu was increasingly nervous. Tadayoshi's score was near to perfect. Few shots had ever gone amiss. As for his own points, they were exactly equal, which frustrated him to no end.  
He approached Tadayoshi, who wore an almost wicked smile.  
"So" the leader of the Legion said to him "It is us."  
Koharu only glared at him. There was no way this outsider could beat him. He was as good in death as he had been in life, and he wouldn't let anyone take that away from him.  
"I wish you the best of luck…you'll need it." He said.  
This wiped the smile from Tadayoshi's face, and Koharu felt a slight satisfaction.

The match began. Koharu could now clearly see Tadayoshi's tactic from close up. It wasn't so much a tactic, as a motivation. He was clearly very angry, and pulled the trigger, shooting at the targets as if he wanted to obliterate them with every shot. It was crude, but in a way, effective. Koharu grew to be cautious of the leader. He didn't want to know what was going on in Tadayoshi's head.  
He had undergone a radical transformation. When they had first arrived, Tadayoshi had been a silent individual, seemingly perpetually sad. His attitude had changed for the first time when they founded the legion, and for the second time when he announced himself their commander. Their last operation was proof enough of that.  
After four rounds, there was still no winner. Chance had it that Tadayoshi and Koharu were still equal on points. It seemed like there was going to be a draw.  
"Listen" Koharu said to Tadayoshi "this isn't going to get us anywhere."  
He still wanted to beat Tadayoshi, but he didn't see anyway it could be done. At least he could refuse the commander the pleasure of having beaten him, and he could still keep his reputation of being unbeatable.  
"What do you say we call it a draw and split the prize between us?" he proposed.  
Tadayoshi's face turned sour, and he gave him a look as if he'd just insulted every single ancestor of his family line.  
"There will be a victor. Someone must win."  
Koharu almost shrank back.  
"But it looks like we're matched…I don't think there is anything further that we can do. We'll have to forfeit."  
Tadayoshi shook his head, and a wicked smile appeared on his face that Koharu had not seen before.  
"No. I have a solution."  
He turned to the entrance to the dojo.  
"Bring it in!" he shouted.  
Two members of the Legion came in, both clutching sub-machine guns. Between them they held a third person, a girl. She was blindfolded and her arms tied behind her back, and wore the standard school uniform. An NPC.  
They led her into the middle of the shooting range, and took off her blindfold, then left the area.  
Koharu looked in horror at the quavering girl. For what purpose had Tadayoshi kidnapped a student?  
"The task is simple. So very simple Koharu." Tadayoshi said, approaching him "To win" he smiled even more "all you have to do is shoot it"  
Koharu was dumbfounded.  
"You…you want…me to shoot her?"  
"IT, Koharu, IT. That is not a person. It is a simulation of a person. All you need to do is hit it, like you did with the targets. That is all you need to do to win. That is all."  
Koharu looked again at the girl. She had sunken to her knees, crying. She seemed to know what she was intended to be. Even id she was an NPC, she acted human, and still feared death.  
Koharu wanted to win so badly. He raised his pistol in her direction, his arm shaking, and sweat forming on his brow.  
Meanwhile Tadayoshi was just standing there, smiling.  
"Just pull the trigger," he whispered, "You want to win right? You don't want to be beaten. All you need to do is shoot. One small motion is enough."  
He just needed to shoot. He just needed to shoot. Victory was literally in his grasp, all he needed to do was-  
He lowered the gun.  
"No."  
Tadayoshi seemed surprised.  
"What did you say?"  
"I refuse to shoot her."  
"Does that mean you forfeit?" Tadayoshi asked.  
Koharu looked at the girl, who was looking up at him now, hope in her eyes.  
"Yes." He said, determined.  
Tadayoshi sighed.  
"Very well." He said, stretched his arm out, and shot the NPC between her eyes.  
"NO!" Koharu shouted, running towards the girl, kneeling next to her and feeling her pulse. She was dead, blood seeping out of the wound and staining both the floor and his clothing.  
"Is there a problem?" Tadayoshi asked him.  
Koharu bit his lip. So this was the kind of person that Tadayoshi had become.  
"No." he said.  
"Good." Tadayoshi replied, "Now clean up this mess and change your jacket. I will not stand for stains on the uniforms of any of my legionnaires."

* * *

**Campus Grounds – 6.15 p.m.**

Evening had fallen. Tadayoshi was watching the cafeteria from slightly higher ground. He knew that the battlefront was once again going to conduct an operation where their distraction unit would capture the attention of the students while a Yurippe and her inner circle were going to break into Angel's bedroom. Yusa had informed him of the plan. She was as useful as she ever was, being operator for both sides and a spy for them. Apart from him she was probably the most useful member for the legion.  
Tadayoshi cared little for the activities of the Battlefront, but he felt it was useful to know their moves. Plus, the music from their band, Girls Dead Monster, was a welcome change from the monotony of school day.  
He had planned to install a speaker system into the base some time, to circulate music, but for that he needed Guild, and he was not sure whether he would be able to go back to them anymore. He would be forced to eventually; the tournament meant that they were running low on ammunition for their handguns. He'd deal with it later.  
The performance had started. Tadayoshi saw the light flashing inside of the building and heard the slightly muffled music. It provided a welcome change, yes, but he still despised the sound of it. It was the sounds of excitement, of parties. He's always hated parties. He'd hated concerts. He'd hated all manners of large gatherings. He found it made him uncomfortable, and he always wanted to leave as soon as possible.  
With the legion, things were different. When he gave speeches, people listened and applauded. When he gave orders, people obeyed. It was a different feeling altogether.  
He loved it.  
He suddenly felt a presence, and turned to see that Yusa had joined him. He was surprised, normally Yusa preferred to be in her own company when she could. What motivated her to come?  
For a while they both just stared at the cafeteria where the concert was raging, then she turned to look at him.  
"Tadayoshi, I was jus-" she stopped.  
"What?" Tadayoshi asked her.  
"Are you…smoking?"  
Tadayoshi grasped the cigarette between two fingers and exhaled the smoke.  
"Yeah."  
"Where did you get it?" she asked, showing for the first time some semblance of emotion. She looked puzzled.  
"Guild" Tadayoshi replied, matter-of-factly.  
"I see. And is that…? Alcohol…?"  
Tadayoshi looked down at the can he was holding in his other hand.  
"Beer, yes."  
"And you go that from…"  
"Guild" Tadayoshi said again.  
Yusa looke puzzled.  
"I actually just started recently...never smoked or drank in my life, I was very puritan in that fashion. Still...it's never too late..." Tadayoshi said.  
"Why?"  
"Because smoking can't kill you here, can it? And neither can drinking!" he laughed.  
"I thought we established that somehow you were still able to die." Yusa said.  
Tadayoshi's hand flew to his stomach, as if fearing that the wound would bust open again.  
"I don't really care. I can do whatever I like in this world. Angel can try to stop me, but eventually she'll be done for, and then I can do anything and everything I please!"  
There was silence, except for the music in the distance.  
"Why is it that you've never told anyone about your life?"  
"I just don't see why I should have bothered anyone with it. It was unremarkable, and came to an unremarkable end. Traffic accident. I'm just part of a statistic for most people."  
"What you did this afternoon was…"  
He rounded on her.  
"Was 'what?' exactly?"  
She looked at him as if analyzing.  
"You enjoyed shooting that NPC. No one has ever done such a thing. They act like humans, but it doesn't matter to you. You enjoy hurting other people. You hurt Koharu too."  
"So what if I do?" Tadayoshi said grudgingly "As a leader I have to be distanced and uncompromising. That is how we will succeed. I have achieved more in the weeks since our founding than Yurippe has EVER achieved."  
"You despise her."  
"I wish I could strip her of all power and possession, throw her in chains, lock her in a cell and never let her out again. She'd be at my mercy. I could do anything to her, and she's be unable to retaliate."  
"That thought excites you."  
"Maybe…Maybe."  
"Pervert" Yusa muttered under her breath.  
"What was that?"  
"Nothing…"  
They lapsed into silence once again. Silence. Complete silence.  
"The performance is over already?" Tadayoshi asked.  
It couldn't be, it was far too early. Yusa put one hand to her earphone, listening intently. Tadayoshi noticed.  
"What's happening?" he asked.  
Yusa didn't answer immediately, but waited and listened.  
"Imagawa has gone." She finally said.  
"Gone? As in…she was obliterated? By Angel?"  
Yusa shook her head.  
"No. Something happened during the concert. The performance was interrupted, and then she disappeared. I am not quite sure of the details."  
"This means they just lost the lead singer of the distraction unit…"  
"Not only that." Yusa continued, "They also found out something, Yuri's team."  
"What? What did they find out?" Tadayoshi asked, excited.  
"Angel is not really an Angel. She is human, like us, but uses software on her computer to manipulate the world and give herself powers."  
"Software?"  
Tadayoshi's eyebrows narrowed.  
"A deputy of God uses software? This seems to me to be more and more of a computer simulation."  
"I'm sorry, that is all I can tell you."  
Tadayoshi was thinking.  
"If she gains her powers from a computer, maybe we could too…and we could use that power to beat her. And still, if we're not able to create power, maybe we can at least weaken hers…"

Software. Software controlled this world. Suddenly things seemed a lot less complicated than they had been before. If something like software could control the fabric of this world, then all elements of divine intervention were gone, the battlefield on which all of them were had suddenly been leveled. No human could compete with the power of gods, but they were able to compete with each other's power. And Tadayoshi was determined to grab that power for himself.


End file.
